Machine for canceling stamps and affixing postmarks to letters



(No Model.) 2'Sh'eet-s-Sheet 1. J. T. KILL-BEN.

MACHINE FOR UANCBLING STAMPS AND APFIXING POSTMARKS T0 LETTERS.

No. 588,162. PatehtedAug. 1 7 ,1897.

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(No Model.)

J. T. KILLEEN. MACHINE FOR GANGELING STAMPS AND APPIXING POSTMARKS T0 LETTERS.

Patented Aug. 17,1897" wi/bmww m: NORRIS PSYERS m4 "mam-um wnsummowu. a

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE- JOHN THOMAS KILLEEN, OF LUZE RNE, PENNSYLVANIA.

MACHINE FOR CANCELING STAMPS AND AFFIXlNG POSTMARKS TO LETTE RS.

' SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 588,152, dated August 17, 1897.

Application filed November 4,1896. Serial No. 611,079. (No model.)

To all who/1t it may concern..-

' Be it known that I, J OHN THOMAS KILLEEN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Luzerne, in the county of Luzerne and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Machines for Cancel. ing Stamps and Affixing Postmarks to Letters; and I do declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My invention relates to a machine for canceling stamps and affixing postmarks to letters, &c.

The object of the invention is to provide a machine of this character by means of which letters and other postal matter may be rapidly fed to the machine and the stamps be canceled and the postmark affixed.

\Vith this object in View the invention consists of certain features of construction and combination of parts, which will be hereinafter fully described and claimed.

Figure 1 is a side elevation of my improved machine. Fig. 2 is a front view of the same. Fig. 3 is a horizontal sectional view on the line as so of Fig. 2. Fig. 4: is a sectional view of the endless carrier, its supportin g-belt, and the spring-pressed table. Fig. 5 is a plan View of a fragment 'of the endless carrier, showing the means employed for adjusting it breadthwise. Fig. 6 is a side view of the same parts, looking in the direction of the arrow in Fig. 5. Fig. 7 is a detail cross-sectional view through the canceling marking roller and shaft, and Fig. 8 is a longitudinal sectional view through the same shaft and its coupling-sleeve.

1n the drawings, 1 denotes the supporting frame, (only a portion of which is shown,) which may be of any well-known or desired construction. Journaled across this frame in suitable bearings is the canceling and postmarking roller-shaft 2, which is preferably made in two parts a and b, the ends of which are spaced apart and are connected by a coupling-sleeve 3, provided with a feather or key-t, which engages the longitudinal groove in said shaft. Mounted upon and keyed to this shaft is a canceling and postmarking roller 4, which may be removed and replaced by one with different inscriptions by sliding the sleeve 3 on section b of the shaft, thus permitting said roller to be removed from and another placed on the section 2 of the shaft without throwing the machine out of gear.

Beneath the roller 4; is secured the conveyer-frame, which consists of a board 5, fixed to the frame of the machine, a table (3 connected to the board 5'by springs 7, the energy of which is exerted upward, rollers 8 journaled in boxes secured to one of the ends of the board and table, and a driving-roller 0 on a shaft 9, journaled in brackets 10 of the main frame. Traveling over these three rollersand against the board and table is the endless conveyor, which consists of endless flexible belts 11 and 12, one of which is much broader than the other, and the short narrow metallic strips 13 and 14, secured to said belts and having their meeting ends overlapping. The outer ends of these strips arebent upward to provide flanges to prevent the mail-matter falling off the conveyer at its sides.

It is oftentimes desired to vary the breadth of the conveyer, and to this end I have provided means whereby the row of metallic strips 14 may be slid upon the strips 13. These means consist of a channel-bar 16, which embraces the fianges 15 of the strips 14: and is provided with a stud 17.

A lever 18 is pivoted at 19 to the main frame and is connected by a link 20 to the channelbar 16. The free end of this lever is provided with a spring-pawl 21, having a knob 22, and the pawl is adapted to travel over a segmental rack 23. It is evident that by manipulating this lever the breadth of the conveyer will be varied.

The inking device for supplying the roller 4 with ink consists of an inclined tray 24., in which the ink is placed and mixed by the printers 'inkingrollers 26, mounted on shafts 27 28. The ink placed in the tray is acted on and mixed by these rollers and is conducted by the roller25 to the roller 1,with which it cont-acts.

Shafts 2, 27, and 28 are geared together by wheels 2 2" 28", and fixed to shaft 27 is a sprocket wheel 27, which is driven by a sprocket chain 20, which also drives the sprocket-wheel 30, fixed to the shaft 9.

In operation, the stamping and canceling roller and the conveyer being driven by the gear just described, the letters and other mailmatter are fed upon the belt, which in traveling below the roller 4 presents them to it to be stamped and canceled. Should a package or envelop be thicker than usual, the table 6 will yield and allow it to pass without choking the machine, while, on the other hand, should a thin letter or card be fed to the machine the table will hold the belt and the card with a chin e, the combination with the printing-roll, of a conveyer mounted beneath the roll and composed of two longitudinal overlapping sections, and means for moving said sections toward and away from each other, substantially as shown and described.

3. In a stamp-*cancelin g and marking ma-' chine, the combination with a printing-roll, of an endless conveyer consisting of two flexible belts mounted on rollers, a series of plates se-' 4. In a stamp-canceling and marking ma- I chine, the combination with the printing-roll, of a conveyer-frame located beneath the roll and consisting of the board and the springactuated table connected thereto, a driveroller journaled in the main frame of the machine, and rollers j ournaled at one of the'ends of the board and table, and an endless conveyer consisting of overlapping adjustable sections traveling around said rollers and in contact-with the printing-roll, substantially as shown and described.

In testimony whereof I hereunto aflix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

JOHN THOMAS KILLEEN. Witnesses:

HENRY C. JOHNSON, LEWIS G. MoOULLooH. 

